On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced kickoff times for Penn State’s first three games, all non-conference clashes with Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo. However, a potentially overlooked detail about the Week 4 matchup with Wisconsin from the announcement leaves Penn State with only one acceptable option for Matt Campbell’s first White Out game.
Per the announcement and Penn State’s release, “Penn State’s homecoming game against Wisconsin, on Saturday, Sept. 26, will start no later than 5 p.m.”
The Wisconsin matchup would not have been ideal for the White Out, particularly on homecoming, but it is the second-best option of Penn State’s home matchups. Now, without a primetime start, it’s not an option for the White Out, which leaves the Week 6 matchup against USC on October 10 as the clear pick for the annual tradition.
The White Out must be against USC in Week 6
This season, Penn State will host Marshall and Buffalo in the non-conference, which are both early starts and not opponents fit for a White Out treatment. In conference play, Penn State hosts Wisconsin, USC, Purdue, Minnesota, and Rutgers.
From a program prestige standpoint, Wisconsin could be a White Out opponent. The two teams clashed in Indianapolis in 2016 when Penn State won its most recent conference title. Coming off back-to-back losing seasons under Luke Fickell, it would have been a bit of a letdown, but still potentially viable. The announcement wipes that away.
Minnesota has been a White Out opponent before in 2022, a 45-17 Penn State victory. That began a stretch with three-straight White Out blowouts over Minnesota, Iowa, and Washington. During that stretch, Penn State drew legitimate criticism about scheduling softer opponents for its White Out, though factors like TV rights with FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and late-season weather also impacted those decisions.
Another White Out against Minnesota this season, even with so much uncertainty surrounding Campbell’s first year at the helm and the Golden Gophers potentially having an NFL prospect at quarterback in Drake Lindsey, would get lumped into that same category. Plus, by November 14, it’s tougher to pull off an effective White Out with fans needing to prepare for the elements.
Really, that leaves USC on October 10. It’s the perfect time of the year and the best opponent Penn State hosts all season. The only question is whether it will get a primetime slot or if FOX will attempt to slot it for Big Noon Kickoff because, as of now, it’s the best Big Ten game on the schedule and the same day Alabama hosts Georgia, which will almost certainly be ABC’s primetime game.
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